Analysis · Question Period answer · beta

Gary Anandasangaree

Liberal on Justice 2026-10-05

84 words · 3 sentences · 7 clauses

Replying to Frank Caputo (Conservative)

“Mr. Speaker, Shane Ertmoed killed 10-year-old Heather Thomas about 26 years ago. Her family continues to serve a psychological life sentence, while Mr. Ertmoed himself gets a 60-day temporary, unescorted absence in order to take cooking classes, cooking classes that Heather will not get to take. I am going to look right at the Prime Minister and ask this: Will he commit to repealing, to removing, Liberal parole so this cannot happen again, yes or no?”

Statement grade

C+

Average 65 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Positioning 21%Procedure 7%Claims 25%Promise 46%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. Speaker, Positioning · 18 wordsthe incident that my friend opposite speaks about is abhorrent, and we condemn it in all possible terms, PositioningPartly on pointProcedure · 6 wordsbut let me just be clear: ProcedureClaims · 21 wordsThe Parole Board of Canada makes decisions independently.¹ We as a government have made significant changes to the criminal justice system, Promise · 39 wordsand we will continue to listen to victims and ensure that the right changes are in place.Vague promise We will continue to work with survivors, victims and the organizations that work with them in order to strengthen our parole system.Partly on pointVague promise

At a glance

Lost points for
VagueMuch of this statement used imprecise wording, lacked details on timing or responsibility, or made broad claims without support.

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 66

3 of 10 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “the incident that my friend opposite speaks about is abhorrent,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “and we condemn it in all possible terms,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “but let me just be clear:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 50

5 of 10 deductions are Relevance

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue. Measured against the question asked.

Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “the incident that my friend opposite speaks about is abhorrent,”About condemning the incident, not about whether the parole law will be repealed.
Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “and we condemn it in all possible terms,”About condemning the incident, not about whether the parole law will be repealed.
Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “We as a government have made significant changes to the criminal justice system,”About past changes already made, not a commitment to repeal the parole law.
Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “and we will continue to listen to victims and ensure that the right changes are in place.”About a general intention to keep listening to victims, not a yes or no on repeal.
Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “We will continue to work with survivors, victims and the organizations that work with them in order to strengthen our parole system.”About future work to strengthen the parole system, not whether the law will be removed.

Respect · 100

0 of 10 deductions are Respect

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Nothing lost points.

Clarity · 45

2 of 10 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

A promise with no date, no measure and no one responsible.What the tags mean “we will continue to listen to victims and ensure that the right changes are in place”Commits to no actor-specific measure, date or success condition, only continuing to listen and unspecified ‘right changes’.
A promise with no date, no measure and no one responsible.What the tags mean “We will continue to work with survivors, victims and the organizations”A commitment to keep working with no concrete action, date or measure named for strengthening the parole system.

Claims · 1

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“The Parole Board of Canada makes decisions independently”The Parole Board of Canada makes its parole decisions independently of government.search

Analysed on 2026-10-19